State: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
Number of Customers: 3.6 million
Main Service Areas: New England
Contact Information:
- Connecticut ? 1-800-286-2000
- Eastern Massachusetts ? 1-800-592-2000
- Western Massachusetts ? 1-877-659-6326
- New Hampshire ? 1-800-662-7764
Formed in the summer of 1966, Eversource Energy has since become a well established, fortune 500 utility company. In early 2015, 6 subsidiaries decided to join together to form the company operating today. These subsidiaries included, CL&P, WMECO, PSNH, NSTAR Electric, Yankee Gas, and NSTAR Gas. The utility services the New England area in cities like:
- Bedford
- Boston
- Franklin
- Hartford
- New Haven
- Plymouth
- Rocky Hill
- Summerville
- Springfield
In the late 1990s, new energy deregulation laws required utilities like Eversource to divest their generating stations to suppliers. This change gave customers the ability to decide who supplies their energy. While an Eversource customer can choose to receive their energy supply from a retail supplier, the company is still responsible for the safe and reliable delivery of energy.
Eversource Energy Facilities and Equipment
As New England?s largest energy delivery company, Eversource services more than 4,270 circuit miles of transmission lines, 578 substations, 72,000 pole miles of distribution lines, 6,459 miles of natural gas distribution pipeline and 449,737 distribution transformers.
In Connecticut the company’s electric service territory covers 4,400 square miles and 149 towns. Eversource’s electric service in Massachusetts extends to 140 towns, which is approximately 3,192 square miles. In New Hampshire their territory covers 5,628 square miles, or 211 towns.
Eversource Energy Rebates and Initiatives
Eversource provides its residential and business customers with information about different ways to save money and conserve energy. This information includes seasonal tips like, upgrading air conditioners to an Energy Star model, which will save money in the long term (in addition to potential product rebates).
By participating in the Green Button initiative, customers of Eversource can also quickly check out their energy usage history. This application helps to improve consumers understanding and awareness of their energy consumption as it will display a customer’s 13 month energy usage summary.
Eversource also runs the Plug My Ride initiative. It is an online resource that provides information on electric vehicles and charging technologies for businesses and homes. The utility has given several volunteering communities charging stations to gather feedback, usage and meter data. These communities will help the research team to better understand and predict requirements for future electric system implementations.
Eversource Energy Northern Pass Project
Over the years, Eversource has committed itself to many different energy projects to bring improvements to the way they do business in America. One of these projects is known as the Northern Pass.
The goal of the Northern Pass project is to bring 1,090 kWh of clean energy into New Hampshire and then to the rest of New England via Canada?s Hydro-Quebec hydroelectric plants. Construction will involve building a new direct current line that extends from Franklin, New Hampshire all the way to the Canadian boarder.
To address concerns from local residents, planners made sure that the Northern Pass route has minimal impact on the environment and local scenic routes. To avoid these areas, the construction teams will put 52 miles of the current lines underground.
The benefits this project including, thousands of new jobs, $80 million in energy savings for New Hampshire customers, and $30 million in state and local tax revenue. This project will also generate $200 million in new programs, innovative technologies and tourism.
Eversource Energy Clean Air Project
Coal is one of the primary sources of electricity in the United States and Eversource owns several fossil fuel plants. To reduce their carbon footprint, the company wanted a better way to run their plant, Merrimack Station. To achieve this, they looked at introducing new processes and equipment.
Using the latest in ?scrubber? system technologies, the plant mixes water and limestone to create a slurry, which is sprinkled over the flue gas prior to stack entry. SO2 is absorbed by the slurry, and the reaction creates gypsum, which is sold to various companies. To remove mercury, a new process was developed in a water waste treatment facility.
Overall, the Clean Air project enabled Eversource to lower sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 90% and captures 80% of the mercury in coal. Merrimack is now one of the cleanest coal plants in America, which will help to pave the way for larger scale development of alternative energy sources.
Comparing Eversource Energy Electricity Rates
Although Eversource still manages the delivery of energy, customers do have the option to select who supplies their energy. Due to this fact, the utility ensures that it offers the most competitive suppliers and only forms partnerships with retailers who can prove that they follow energy deregulation laws. Additional information on registered suppliers is readily available, including tools like the Competitive Supplier Calculator to help customers make an informed decision.
If customer do not want to select an energy retailer, customers can decide to choose Eversource as their energy supplier. In this case, residential and business customers are offered a Basic Service plan. This plan gives them the option of a 6 month fixed or monthly variable priced agreement. Both options reflect the current wholesale market cost of electricity.